The term “photography” as used herein refers in particular to the (e.g. “permanent”) capture of images produced by electromagnetic radiation (especially light) by means suitable therefor (for example, camera with film, digital camera with CCD chip, film camera, video camera, and so on). Photographic image information represented the photographic, digital image data. The photographic image data can originate directly from a digital camera or, for example, from a scanner which scans a film. They can also be electronically stored, (for example, CD ROM, DVD) or accessed or transmitted through a network (for example, LAN or internet or wireless phone network or cellular phone networks or UMTS etc.).
The photographic image data are transformed by a printer or a photographic lab so that an image is produced on a physical medium or a monitor. The physical medium is, for example, photographic paper or regular paper (with toner or ink). However, the quality of the photographic image achieved thereby is not always satisfactory. A significant reason therefor is that the gamut region of the original image information cannot be transformed onto the imaging medium.
Brightness differences, for example, which often were still recognizable for the photographer while looking through the sight during capture of the photographic image information are no longer recognizable by an observer of a photographic reproduction based on the captured photographic image information, when those brightness differences are located in a dark or very bright region of the photographic reproduction. The EP 1 024 400 discloses a suggestion for the solution of this problem by way of masks. However, it does not teach the use of other image properties.